1. Field of the Disclosure
The present disclosure relates to automated currency processing and, more specifically, to the automated detection of soiling in bank notes undergoing high-speed processing.
2. Description of Related Art
Once a bank note is issued and circulated it is often transferred amongst a number of individuals and entities. With time, the bank notes are likely to become soiled. Specifically, soiled bank notes are bank notes which have become dirty and/or limp due to excessive use. For instance, the bank notes are often handled by individuals and contact with human fingers is a major source of bank note soiling. As body oils are deposited on the bank notes due to human contact, they facilitate adherence of dust and dirt to the bank notes. Moreover, bank notes are often crumbled or folded during every day use further contributing to the bank note deterioration.
In an effort to maintain a desired standard for the bank notes in circulation, banks often remove bank notes that have been soiled beyond a threshold level and are deemed unusable. These notes are then removed from circulation and replaced with new bank notes. Accordingly, it is desirable to provide an automated mechanism for identifying and/or setting a side bank notes that are soiled and need to be replaced.
These and other improvements will become apparent when the following detailed disclosure is read in light of the supplied drawings. This summary is not intended to limit the scope of the disclosure to any particular described embodiment or feature. It is merely intended to briefly describe some of the key features to allow a reader to quickly ascertain the subject matter of this disclosure. The scope of the disclosure is defined solely by the claims when read in light of the detailed disclosure.
The disclosure may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof. The present embodiments are therefore to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, the scope of the disclosure being indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description, and all changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are therefore intended to be embraced therein.